Friday, June 3, 2011

Day 12...Easter 2011

Easter definitely snuck up on me this year as I had just returned home from Utah and wasn't feeling very well. However, Easter is always a special holiday for me and the significance of the holiday was not diminished. If anything, it is even more poignant when I am struggling with my health because it reminds me that no matter what happens, because of Christ's sacrifice, I too will be resurrected one day and be able to be with my family forever. What an incredible gift. I don't fully understand the complexity of it but I am eternally grateful for it.

While I stayed home and did treatments and rested before church, Ryan took Harrison to his parents for a little Easter egg hunt and some special time with Grammy and Grandpa. Bless Linda for filling the eggs with almonds instead of candy!! I was thrilled and Harrison didn't know any different!

After church we had a beautiful Easter dinner at my mom's. Terry and Linda joined us as well as our dear friends Bob and Daryl. I am so grateful for my family and love spending these priceless moments with them. Despite not feeling 100%, it was a wonderful Easter!

Day 12 of the Healthy Home Challenge: Germaphobe alert!

From The Healthy Home book, "We've become obsessed with living in a germ-free environment as a result of the scare tactics employed by marketers. We have bona fide germ phobia when we could be focusing our energy on something positive, like boosting our immune systems. ...Your body, when healthy, is beautifully designed to handle germs. We don't need to live in a scrubbed-down, sterilized bubble."

This section of the book on household cleaners was so eye-opening. I know I and other Cfers have to be especially careful of germs but the book also points out that most of the solvents we are using to sanitize our homes are toxic and can break down the molecules on our skin and in our lungs.

The book encourages using products that are nontoxic and biodegradable and/or plant based. I just bought a few bottles of nontoxic, plant based cleaners and air purifiers for our home at Sprouts. It is also very easy to make your own household cleaners with a few inexpensive ingredients that most of us already have in our kitchens. There is a whole "recipe" list in the book.

The parting tip is this: If you are cleaning with products that you wouldn't eat, wear gloves!

A brief Introduction...

Ryan and I were married in 2004. We wanted to start our own family and prayed fervently for the faith and strength to experience this miracle despite my health challenges with Cystic Fibrosis. Our prayers were answered and we were blessed with a precious baby boy!! Harrison was born in 2007.

I was recently accepted by Stanford as a candidate for a Heart/Double Lung Transplant. Again, we are praying for the faith and strength to experience another miracle and are filled with hope as we wait for this great blessing.